15 October 2012– Adoption of resolution 2071 on Mali by the Security Council

Communiqué issued by the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ spokesman

Two weeks after the high-level meeting on the Sahel during which President Hollande underscored the urgency of the terrorist threat in northern Mali, the UN Security Council has unanimously adopted resolution 2071, presented by France and co-sponsored by the 3 African members of the Security Council (South Africa, Morocco, and Togo) and by Germany, India and the United Kingdom.

Resolution 2071, adopted under Chapter VII of the UN Charter, calls on the Malian authorities to engage in political dialogue with the rebel Malian groups and the legitimate representatives of the local population in northern Mali. It imposes the threat of sanctions on the armed groups in northern Mali that do not disassociate themselves with terrorist movements.

This resolution requests the UN Secretary-General to present a report, notably in collaboration with ECOWAS and the African Union, on the basis of which the Security Council will be able to authorize, within 45 days, the deployment of an African operation to Mali, with the aim of allowing the Malians to regain their sovereignty and the integrity of their territory and to fight against international terrorism.

The resolution urges the new Special Envoy for the Sahel to help find a comprehensive solution to the Malian crisis, within the framework of the implementation of the UN Strategy for the Sahel.